Induction experience

dbussolini · December 2014

I saw my OB today for my 39 week check up and there has been no change since last week (still 1cm dilated and 60% [ish] effaced). My due date is on the 16th and as I learned today it is often the practice of my office to not usually let women go any more than 10 days past their due date. This especially since my blood pressure has been on the higher side for the last 2-3 weeks. I made my 40 week appointment and she said at that we would discuss induction options/possibility. While I have no real issue with an induction (It might even be nice knowing the exact date so I can let me in-laws know…my mom lives in the same city), I know from cousins and friends if I am induced and labor doesn't progress I am likely to need a c-section, which I do not wish to have.

Has anyone had experience with being induced? If so what was your doctors reasoning?

Unknown · December 2014

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taahira · December 2014

I was 42 weeks and no signs of labor. They had to induce me. I didn't have a good experience. It was long drawn out 2 days with not much progress. In my second pregnancy I did go into natural labor, it was quick only 7 hours and completely med free. A way better experience.

dbussolini · December 2014

I'm aware, but again, this was my doctor bringing up induction…not me.

Unknown · December 2014

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ashiscute · December 2014

I haven't been induced but my SIL was with her first. She got to the hospital at 4pm and my niece was born around 11pm. She was induced at 39 weeks but I do not know if she was dilated at all beforehand.

I thought you would appreciate a story that went well but I very much hope you are able to go into labor on your own.

Amstreagle · December 2014

I was induced at 38 weeks due to high bp. I labored for 20 hours and in those 20 hours DS's hear rate dropped dangerously low at least 5 times. I was taken off pitocin twice for him to recuperate from those intense contractions.
Once he was born he was a little jaundiced but hadn't perfected his suck so I never got to EBF and that crushed me.
If there is no medical necessity for an induction I would say no. You also never know if your dates are spot on and everyday in the womb babies go through so much development. I mean everything I said out of kindness and know how much the last weeks suck but try to think of the benefits you are giving your baby and use this time to rest and prepare.

jess9802 · December 2014

I was induced at 39w3d for chronic hypertension. Had cervical ripening the night before, pitocin starting at 7AM, epidural around 1PM, started pushing at 4:40pm, baby at 5:21PM.

Most inductions end in vaginal deliveries, and high blood pressure is a medically indicated reason for an induction. Overall I consider my induction experience to be positive and I have no regrets.

ktbear9512 · December 2014

I was induced with DS at 11 days past my due date. It wasn't a horrible experience but I definitely wouldn't want to do it again. The whole thing lasted 11 hours. They broke my water 4 or 5 hours in to speed things up because the baby wasn't tolerating the Pitocin well and his heart rate was dropping after every contraction. Once they did that, my contractions ramped up and they dialed back the Pitocin- it was actually off completely by the time I had to push. I think what your friends are worried about is when people get induced before they should. Does your OB use a bishop score? I'm glad you're already starting to dilate and efface and I'm not sure what the cut offs are. Definitely make sure you have a good talk at your 40 week appt and that you're comfortable with what is decided. I hope you go into labor on your own and won't even need an induction. ETA: apparently I can't make paragraphs on my iPad. Sorry for the hard to read block of text!

llambrose · December 2014

I was induced at 39 weeks with my first due to GD and low amniotic fluid. I liked my induction experience and would be perfectly happy to have one this time if needed. I was dialated about 1 cm for about 2 weeks prior, went for my 39 week check and ended up having a NST that didn't quite satisfy them so they did an ultrasound and discovered the low fluid. They had me go straight to the hospital and check in. They gave me a cervadil suppository that night and planned to start pitocin at 6 AM. At 2 AM my water broke. 6AM they started pitocin, I slept on and off for about an hour and a half with some contractions. At 8 AM I got an epidural and continued to rest. They checked me around 11AM and I was almost fully dilated. Started to push around 11:30 AM and 3 quick pushes later, I had my girl at exactly noon. It was quick, easy and worked very well for me. The only part I would change would be not getting any intravenous pain meds as they made me feel out of it, I was just expecting the whole thing to take longer. I know a lot of people are very anti-induction but for me, it was a good experience.

kellyfo14 · December 2014

I was induced with my first and was in labor for 36 hours. They broke my water 12 hours in and tried and tried to get labor going but I never made it past 3 cm with intense and painful contractions. Got an epi. When I was still not progressing and my water had been broken for 24 hours they delivered by cesarean to avoid infection. DD was 11.1 pounds so it didn't break my heart that I missed vaginal birth. My recovery was a little rough. The worst part was intense gas pain in the hospital. I had a scheduled csec with DS and my recovery was much easier.

NicoleWI · December 2014

There are as many good as bad induction stories. I was induced with my first and all turned out well with no c-section, but it wasn't a great experience. It was very painful and I was slow to dilate. Then again, my mom was slow to dilate also, w/out the induction. I have heard many stories where induction goes completely smoothly. Like anything with labor, you just have no idea how your body will react.

I think an induction just has to be done for the right reason. Not going more than 10 days overdue is fine, in my opinion, and if your BP is borderline high that could be an important reason, too! Sounds like your doctors are making good recommendations.

mamaloaf · December 2014

I'll tell you my induction story. It was FABULOUS. I'd do it again if I have the chance. I went in the night before and got checked in, hooked up, etc and they inserted prostaglandin gel. I went to bed and the nurse checked on me and my cervix every few hours. I think they may have given me more in the middle of the night, but I don't remember for sure. I woke up the next morning and went to the bathroom and freshened up my hair and makeup. When I sat back in the bed, my water broke. It scared the crap out of me! They checked me, good clear fluid. Here we go!!!

Nurse asked if I wanted my epidural. I said no, I didn't feel like I needed it yet. She said they were about to begin back to back C-sections, so she recommended I go ahead and get it if I didn't want to risk having to wait when I was really ready. Ok, I did. Epi insert no big deal. Only took on half of me, so they upped the dose or moved it around, I'm not sure. All I know is after that, I couldn't feel a damn thing from the waist down. You could have seriously cut my leg off and I wouldn't have cared. This was 7 am.

I napped and laid around until 1 when they checked me and said I was ready to push! I said "No shit?". She said yep, head is right there. I pushed 3 times and she said "STOP." Called the doctor, she came in, I pushed maybe 3 more times and she was out.

It was a fantastic experience!!! If you (or anyone else) ends up being induced, know that it's not always a bad experience. GL

Beevol · December 2014

When I was talking with my doctor about induction, she told me about the Bishop score which is an evidence based model that doctors use to determine how successful pitocin might be. There are other predictive factors and issues that influence how your body will react to induction. Ask your doctor to walk you through the pros and cons and help you understand your choices.

GL!

baloneydisc · December 2014

I was induced at 39w4d and according to my chart had a "traumatic birth". I don't think that had anything to do with the induction though. We did Cytotec overnight, broke my water and got the epidural the next morning, DD was born at 4pm. I did come close to needing a csection, but that's because DD got stuck and ended up being delivered with forceps. I do have something I still need to get repaired via surgery, but it's not bothering me and the doctor said its not an issue to wait.

see8e · December 2014

Can you elaborate more on "the state of your cervix means nothing"? At my doc appointment this week, he told me I was 70% effaced and got excited ...haha, I guess prematurely?!

cf1126 · December 2014

I was induced at 40+5 partly bc I was over being pregnant and partly bc I didnt think I would progress on my own since I had zero braxton hicks and no dialation as well as no other signs of labor. I went in at 6pm, they used Cervidil and I went into active labor around 5 or 6am without the use of any Pitocin. I remember feeling like my whole body was on fire, and by morning I was shaking an dry heaving really bad (not sure if these were normal labor symptoms bc I am a FTM). They offered me opiate pain relievers but I declined. My baby started having fetal distress and I was only 3cm so they had to do an emergency c section. They gave me an epidural and off we went to surgery. I delivered at 9am. I remember feeling freaked out because I knew I was breathing but couldn't feel my chest moving up and down so I kept asking if I was breathing okay. I decided Im "one and done" so theres really no "next time" for me.

Honestly, the worst part of the whole ordeal was the pain from the catheter that is still lingering (I delivered on 11/24) but I think they use catheters regardless of c section. I never needed anything more than 800mg of motrin in recovery and they make you stay for a couple days to make sure you don't have any blood clots in your legs from surgery. Hopefully you have established a good doctor/patient relationship and trust his judgment. Inductions result in 50% vaginal deliveries and 50% c section. Best of luck.

Amandysergio · December 2014

Not in 3rd tri yet, but I was induced with DD at 38+1. I started out 50% effaced and 1.5cm dilated but I had hypertension and elevated liver enzymes so it needed to happen. My OB did warn me it could take up to 3 days but of course, I didn't believe him. I went in 10/6 and thought I would for sure have a baby by 10/7. She was born in the afternoon on 10/9.

They started me off w/ Misoprostol (sp?) - a few doses until I had really bad cramping so they stopped it and I started Pitocin on Monday, upped it completely with no progress. Turned it off so I could sleep. Started Pitocin again Tuesday, upped it completely with a little more progress. I was almost 3cm. I was crying and told the mean on-call OB that I wanted to speak with mine or I was going home. (lol) he came that night and told me he was taking it slow since my body wasn't completely ready for labor and he wanted to avoid a c-section.

I was 3cm and 70%? effaced on 10/9 and OB broke my water and turned the Pitocin back on. He broke my water around 8:15am and DD was here at 4:48pm that day. He checked me at 3pm and I was 5cm and my OB said I had a little way to go and he would be back to check on me after he was done at the office. I was fully dilated and pushing at 4:20ish and she came 20 minutes later lol

I was drained from being there so long, but once things got going, it was a very smooth experience.

Good luck!

Unknown · December 2014

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capulet · December 2014

I started the induction process with DD 10 days after my due date (I was charting when she was conceived so it was probably a few days earlier, actually). I had made zero progress on my own at that point and my practice's policy was to wait until 42 weeks, but they couldn't fit me into the hospital just for the cervical gel (not the induction itself, but the gel!) right at 42 weeks for God knows what stupid reason. So I got the gel around noon and they said it might put me into labor before I came in the next morning to start pitocin.

I started having contractions that evening and got to the hospital around 11:30 PM when they were a few minutes apart. I was only 2 cm dilated, so they told me to labor in triage for two hours and then get checked again. I was in so much pain, with like 90 second contractions two minutes apart, that I only lasted 45 minutes before I had DH beg the nurses to do something. (We found out later DD was poorly positioned, which is probably why I felt the contractions not only in my abdomen but in my butt.) I had an internal exam during a contraction (ouch!) and was just dilated enough to go into L&D and order an epi. Everything went haywire as soon as they hooked up the monitor - DD's heart rate was decelerating, I felt like I couldn't breathe, they gave me oxygen but I couldn't tell it was helping me so I was trying to take the mask off (I was pretty much losing my mind at this point), and the OB told me I could try for a VBAC next time but I really needed a c-section now because they thought her cord might be prolapsed (which it wasn't, but something was obviously wrong). So they wheeled me into the OR and left DH there until they knew I wouldn't have to have general anesthesia. Once I got the spinal I felt fantastic and DD was born at 1:56 AM. Except for a rough few hours immediately after surgery when I was very cold, I had a good c-section recovery and opted for an RCS with DS and will have another with baby #3.

So my induction was not great, and in retrospect I wish I had insisted on waiting as long as possible until I had made progress on my own. But DD was doing fine in there according to ultrasounds and NSTs; if you have high BP it might be best to be induced, and if you're already dilated you might have a better experience than I did.

yeah. · December 2014

My induction was awful. The reason was sound (I was 42 weeks) but it was a pretty terrible experience.

cinderella4282 · December 2014

I was induced with DD at 36 weeks 3 days due to pre-e.

I got to the hospital at 2 pm with the first round of pitocin at 3 pm and DD was born at 1:04 am. I did wait until the last minute to get an epidural because I was afraid it would stall the progress. Other than terrible contractions that occurred right on top of each other - it all went pretty quick. My water broke about 11:15 pm and DD was born less than two hours later.

It's good to know your options, but you still have LOTS of time to go into labor naturally. I would imagine the experience would be much better if the baby and your body were ready to go....

jennypolkadots · December 2014

Just a few things that may be helpful for you...

Do not let cervical checks discourage you. They give literally zero useful information about when you will go into labor or how long labor will last. You can be 1 cm and barely effaced, go into natural labor and have a 4 hour labor. You can be 4 cm and 90% effaced at 38 weeks, and have a 24+ hour labor at 42 weeks. Seriously, the checks tell nothing but do allow doubt to creep in and introduce bacteria inside of you. You can also labor for 12 hours and be at 2 cm and have that baby an hour later. Labor patterns are not Personally, unless there is a medical need (bleeding, etc), I won't be having any cervical checks all the way through delivery, unless I request it from my midwife.

ACOG considers 39 weeks full term. Induction should not be discussed in a healthy pregnancy before 41 weeks. You should familiarize yourself with these standards so you have some information to tell your doctor.

Are you 100% certain on your dates? If I went by my LMP my due date would be 4 days sooner than it is. There are several ways to assess due dates and first births tend to be later. Thankfully I know my ovulation date. 4 days can make a big difference when talking induction, so it's worth thinking about. When did other women in your family have their babies? I have a midwife who everyone in her family has babies (average 6-7 pounders) at around 45 weeks, and each woman and baby have their own ideal gestation length. Trust your body unless it gives you reason not to.

You're doctor can't make you do anything you don't want to do. They don't "let" you go past your due date -- it's not some grand gesture on their part. It's your body, baby, and decision. You can sign waivers for everything and it's up to you to research and decide what you feel is the best for you and your baby. They are working to minimize risks, but sometimes that is too the detriment of a totally healthy pregnancy. You still have several weeks and it is crazy they are mentioning induction to you when you are just barely considered full term.

If you end up in an induction situation, make sure to ask for your Bishops score and understand other factors before making a decision. Most inductions still lead to healthy vaginal deliveries, so the fear of a cesarean shouldn't be a major deciding factor. I hope this helps!!

gullickh2 · December 2014

I was induced with my son at 39w5d because it was convenient for my doctor (my son's due date was on Easter Sunday and my doctor didn't wanna be called in). It was pretty easy, 8 hour, vaginal delivery but if I had a do over, I would have waited. If there is no medical reason, then I would wait as long as you can

bluelotus13 · December 2014

I was induced at 39 weeks with my first due to a high leak that hadn't resolved since the 29th week (I was essentially dripping amniotic fluid for almost two months). I went in Sunday night at 8pm, was given the Pitocin and went to sleep. Next morning I was more dilated and they decided to break my water since my contractions were regular and things seemed to be progressing. I didn't have any pain or discomfort (other than hating the fact that an induction means no food or water or activity is allowed once they get it started) but I did wait a hell of a long time before anything really "happened". By 7:30pm Monday night the doctor started to worry that we'd have to have a c-section, but luckily around 8:30pm I sat up and was said, "I think something's happening" and after five minutes of pushing my son was born!
I really don't want to have to induce this time around since the length of time it took the first time was really annoying, but we'll be scheduling one at my 39 week appointment due to the fact that I now live over an hour from the hospital and won't have a car with me otherwise (and my husband is not at all comfortable with me delivering unassisted at home or on the highway haha). Hopefully I start labor on my own but considering how quickly active labor went the first time, I may only have minutes to work with so it'll be nice at least to have the hospital ready for me again.

hlm184 · December 2014

My friend was induced at 40+1 due to high blood pressure and it went fine. Other people are not so fortunate. My practice wanted to schedule a non-medically indicated induction ASAP since they "don't want people getting to 41." I held them off easily enough, they can't force you to induce.

yvanehtnioj · December 2014

gullickh2 said:

I was induced with my son at 39w5d because it was convenient for my doctor (my son's due date was on Easter Sunday and my doctor didn't wanna be called in). It was pretty easy, 8 hour, vaginal delivery but if I had a do over, I would have waited. If there is no medical reason, then I would wait as long as you can

Um that's terrible. I would have told him to fuck right off.

I was induced due to gestational diabetes and was expecting the worst but I had a great experience. Used 2 doses of cytotec, 6 hours after the second dose my water broke, and 5 hours later my son was born. No pitocin and no pain meds.

asbs11 · December 2014

I don't have a great induction story to share. My induction ended as a csection like most of them do if your body just simply is not ready for labor. I think it's really ridiculous they don't let mums go over their due date at your center. A due date is only a guess. Your baby & body may still not be ready by the 16th. My best friend just had an induction that failed as well last week at 40 & 2 days. & her baby only weighed 5 pounds. Which is very tiny for 40 weeker so we think her due date was off LIKE MOST. Babies really do know when they are ready for the world. I am currently 41 weeks pregnant & I am so grateful that my doctor is letting my body do it's own thing this time around. I don't care if I have to wait for 44 weeks to have my vbac. I'll NEVER voluntarily sign up for a csection again like I did before. Lesson definitely learned. As for your blood pressure, idk if the protocol in the UK is different than in the US (if that is where you live) but blood levels fluctuate all throughout pregnancy. My blood will go from extremely low to very high throughout my pregnancies & it never concerned my midwife or Dr. to induce. They just always give iron pills or put mums on a diet plan. Unless it's diabetes or something more serious.

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